INTEGRITY
No one is looking. It is safe to do the unacceptable. No one will know.
What we do public is only as authentic as what we do in private. Image is what people think of us. Integrity on the other hand is who and what we really are.
Evangelist Billy Graham said, “Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When the character is lost, all is lost.”
Have you received more change than you should? Have you left a heavy item in the cart and noticed the cashier miss it? Did you return the excess change? Did you point out the unscanned item? Did you battle with yourself — to keep silent and walk away or do the right thing and bring it to the cashier’s attention? How many times have you chosen to do what is right versus getting away with doing what is wrong, knowing no one will know. When all was said and done, you opted to do the right thing, even though you could have gotten away without being found out.
Integrity is what you do when no one is watching. There is a huge difference between character and integrity. Character is best demonstrated by how we treat others who can do absolutely nothing for us.
Integrity is our heart and our spiritual habit of deciding beforehand to do the right thing.
As much as character counts, It is integrity that matters.